Which cartridge for Linn Akito II ? Ittok LVII ?


I'm selling one of my LP12s and keeping the Lingo(old), Circus, Trampolin. The Akito has an old Grado sig. jr. I'm not into switching arms back and forth for comparison, so I'm hoping someone with more patience has compared them. I have a Grado z+ on the Ittok. Which arm should I keep and what is a good match in a cartridge under $400? Other equipment ARC LS2BII, ARC PH1, PSE Studio V monoblocks, Audio Physic Tempo III. My musical taste is ecclectic and I need a little brightness/high-end boost. Clarity and imaging are also important.
Thanks!
George
geor
Thanks again Simon. By the way the rosewood is un-fluted and gorgeous. As the son of a 50's/60's era carpenter and (not so great) sporatic woodworker myself, I know my rosewood. Absolutely not PC in today's world as the heartwood of the oldest of old growth (tropical) specimens. It is dense. I've often wondered about the density factor and somewhere heard an 'urban myth' about the different (Linn) wood's sound characteristics.
The arm is the newer Akito II, so I'll likely keep it. I do notice motor noise hum at the end of the last track, but I've also got a (very low volume) but constant hum - perhaps cable dressing issues or maybe it's the van den Hul carbon interconnect from phono to line preamp. As I said I'm not a tweaker. I just want to listen to music.
Hi Geor,

If you are happy to go inside the deck, I would disconnect the short earth cable from the armbase to the sub-chassis.
I would hazard a guess that this would cure your hum problem.
The chassis is earthed thru the psu and the arm cable will be earthed at the phonostage.
I've had a few instances (with Linn arms)where disconnecting the short loop to the sub-chassis has cured hum problems - worth a try.
Why this set up sometimes causes a ground loop defeats me but I know from using lots of non -Linn arms which don't have the short extra wire that these never have hum problems,
so have on occasion resorted to disconnecting this on Linn
arms.

My plinth is custom made from Yew, not sure about the sound (or the PC aspect) but it looks gorgeous.
Happy listening.
Rgds Simon
Hi Simon,

I think I have enough motivation to try that. But wow-Yew-now there's a beautiful wood, also very dense. As for PC, I think you're OK. The native Pacific Yew is a little too 'wild' for the urban landscape and no longer needed to make taxol, though it is part of the northern Pacific rainforest. If it's English Yew, I don't think it's an issue (depending where you live). I believe it was the wood used to make the deadly English longbow in days of old-either that or arrow shafts.
Do you make plinths for sale?

Thanks again for the tip.

Best,
George
Hi George,

my plinths are made by a furniture/cabinetmaker.
Mail me direct if you want some photos.

Rgds Simon